INDUSTRY BRIEFS

HOWELL CORP., Houston, signed final contracts to begin a 3D seismic program on 150 sq miles in the Horseshoe atoll area of the Permian basin in West Texas. Shooting of the first line is to start this week, and Howell expects to start drilling in third quarter. Howell said using 3-D seismic technology to define Pennsylvanian Canyon pinnacle reefs has yielded an 80% success rate in the area the past 2 years. OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM (MALAYSIA) LTD.'S